Until this testimony today and the news story that came out in August, medical assistance in dying was not on my radar as a significant issue for the veterans we are serving. I think this has been a serious wake-up call.
Suicide has been on our minds for the 10 years that we've been operating and for the almost 25 years that our program has been around. Again, it is the worst possible outcome, and our entire reason for existing is to try to stop that outcome, so suicide has always been on our minds. The possibility of suicide through medical assistance in dying for a mental health disorder—again, that we know to be treatable and when we know that people can improve—is worrying. Absolutely.
I'm not qualified to speak about MAID holistically, but with our focus and the work that we do with veterans, we know that they can get better. We've heard from many veterans who don't believe that they can get better, and then they do. They make progress and their quality of life improves.
My fear is that we are offering a vehicle for people to end their lives when there are treatment options available, but those treatment options are more difficult to access than medically assisted death.